Acta crystallographica Section B, Structural science, crystal engineering and materials最新文献

The crystallographic phase change from tetragonal litharge (α-PbO; P4/nmm) to orthorhombic massicot (β-PbO; Pbcm) has been studied by full-matrix Rietveld analysis of high-temperature neutron powder diffraction data collected in equal steps from ambient temperature up to 925 K and back down to 350 K. The phase transformation takes place between 850 and 925 K, with the coexisting phases having equal abundance by weight at 885 K. The product massicot remains metastable on cooling to near ambient temperature. Both structures are layered networks of OPb₄ tetrahedra and PbO₄ square pyramids, with the space between alternate layers of Pb atoms (in approximate cubic close packing) occupied either by O atom layers or Pb atom lone pairs. In massicot, the symmetric Pb and O layers of litharge become deeply corrugated parallel to [001], with the O-atom layers splitting into two layers, although these are still sandwiched between the approximately cubic close-packed Pb atom layers. The crystallite size of the initial litharge component decreases from around 3500 Å to around 1100 Å at the midpoint of the phase change at 885 K, whereupon the size of the massicot crystallites increases from a similar value to around 2500 Å at 350 K during the cool-down stage. The unit-cell dimensions and atomic coordinates of litharge change smoothly throughout the phase change, but there is a rapid expansion of the c-axis immediately prior to the recrystallization to massicot, and the one free coordinate (Pb z) decreases significantly to producer a thinning of the layers. Increases in the O displacment parameters suggest that this atom is `on the move' as the transformation approaches. Changes in the massicot parameters as its crystallites emerge from the transformation are largely unremarkable. The formation of the heavily corrugated layers in massicot requires significant movements of the O atoms (∼1.2 Å) from their positions in litharge and thus for Pb-O bonds to be broken during the phase change. The requirement for these bonds to be re-broken in a conversion back to litharge is likely to be the reason why massicot is metastable at ambient temperature. Evidence of a temporary intermediate `amorphous' phase in the phase transformation from which the massicot grows is provided in the form of broad, very low amplitude `peaks' in the high-temperature diffraction patterns.

We present an approach to reduce this computational cost substantially, based on the partitioning of the molecule into geometrically separated torsional groups, with the dependence of the intramolecular energy and atomic point charges and dependent degrees of freedom on molecular conformation being computed as a linear combination of the contributions of these groups. This can lead to large savings in computational cost without a significant impact on accuracy, as demonstrated in the cases of N-acetyl-para-aminophenol (paracetamol) and methyl 4-hydroxybenzoate (methyl paraben). The approach is also applied successfully to two larger molecules, benzyl [4-(4-methyl-5-[(4-methylphenyl)sulfonyl]-1,3-thiazol-2-yl)phenyl]carbamate (molecule XX from the fifth CSP blind test) and (2S)-2-[4-(3-fluorobenzyloxy)benzylamino]propionamide (safinamide), for which we conduct the first reported CSP study. In both cases, the use of torsional groups results in over 99% reduction in computational cost, which enables the generation of an initial CSP landscape with high-quality structures found within the standard cutoff of 20 kJ mol^-1 for progression to refinement.

A series of Li⁺/Fe³⁺-doped enstatite crystals of composition Mg_(2-2x)Li_xFe_xSi₂O₆ were synthesized and structurally characterized. Under the selected experimental conditions, we grew three crystals of Pbca orthopyroxene (OPX: x = 0.270-0.313) and two crystals of Pbcn protopyroxene (PPX: x = 0.156-0.164) using the flux-growth technique. The observed variation in the polyhedral volume and distortion of the M2 octahedron as a function of Li/Fe³⁺ doping suggests the presence of an upper limit, at least for the OPX samples. The same linear relation was observed between the polyhedral volume and 〈M1-O〉 bond length across all analysed samples, including the endmembers protoenstatite (PEN), orthoenstatite (OEN) and LiFe³⁺Si₂O₆. It seems that the M2 octahedron plays a crucial role in stabilizing the pyroxene topology in either the PEN or the OEN form, because the PPX and OPX samples show two distinct linear relations between the M2O₆ polyhedral volume and 〈M2-O〉, with the PPX trend converging toward the parameters of the LiFe³⁺Si₂O₆ endmember, whereas the OPX trend, including OEN, diverges largely from these parameters.

The presence of magnetic atoms at the A and B sites and the coupling between these two spin subsystems in perovskites gives rise to a variety of exciting effects. In particular this coupling attracts interest from the field of novel multiferroic and magnetoelectric oxides. Moreover, magnetic double perovskites presenting cationic order at the B sites incorporate an additional modulation that can favor symmetry breaking, multiferroic, magnetoelectric and polar phases. Here, we describe the magnetic structures obtained from neutron diffraction and analyze the symmetry properties of well ordered A₂MnB'O₆ double perovskites with A = Lu, Yb, Tm, Er, Ho, Y, Tb, La_0.5Tb_0.5, La and B' = Co or Ni. A rich variety of magnetic orders is formed that have been identified and described, and their symmetry properties are discussed in relation to the multiferroic and magnetoelectric properties of the different compounds.

During the synthetic exploration targeting the polycrystalline compound LK-99, an unexpected phase, Pb₅(PO₄)₃OH_δ, was identified as a byproduct. We elucidated the composition of this compound through single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Subsequent synthesis of the target compounds was achieved via high-temperature solid-state pellet reactions. The newly identified Pb₅(PO₄)₃OH_δ has an orthorhombic crystal structure with space group Pnma, representing a unique structure differing from the hexagonal apatite phases of Pb₁₀(PO₄)₆O and Pb₅(PO₄)₃OH. Comprehensive temperature- and magnetic-field-dependent magnetization studies unveiled a temperature-independent magnetic characteristic of Pb₅(PO₄)₃OH_δ. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was employed to decipher the origins of the phase stability and confirm the presence of hydrogen atoms in Pb₅(PO₄)₃OH_δ. These investigations revealed the presence of protonated oxygen sites, in addition to the interstitial water molecules within the structure, which may play critical roles in stabilizing the orthorhombic phase.

Two reports on the seventh blind test on crystal structure prediction extensively discuss the cutting-edge avant-garde methods of structure generation and energy ranking.

Single crystals of two new compounds, (C₅H₁₄N₂)S₂O₃·H₂O (1) and (C₅H₁₃N₂)₂S₂O₃·3H₂O (2), were isolated from the reaction products of 1-methylpiperazine, sulfuric acid, and barium thiosulfate in aqueous media. The crystal structures have been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. In agreement to the previous observations, the organic template may contribute to the formation of thiosulfates both as mono- and diprotonated species, but this is the first case where both products are reported for the same organic compound. In both structures 1 and 2, complex nets of hydrogen bonds involve all cations, anions and water molecules. Comparisons are made to the structures of other thiosulfates containing mono- or diprotonated diamine species.

Crystal structure prediction (CSP) calculations were carried out to examine potential formation of co-crystals between N-halide phthalimides (Cl, Br or I) and 3,5-dimethylpyridine (35DMP). The co-crystal structure of N-bromophthalimide (nbp) with 35DMP (nbp-35DMP) is known, and the generated co-crystal structure of rank 1 is identical to experimental structure (VELXES). For the unknown crystal structure of N-iodophthalimide (nip), structure of rank 1 is suggested as a likely co-crystal structure. On the other hand, our calculations suggest the improbability of co-crystal formation between ncp and 35DMP. The CSP findings indicate that strong N-X...N interactions consistent with similar experimental structures in the Cambridge Structural Database play a major role in crystal structures of the studied compounds.

Quercetin, a bioflavonoid abundant in plants, boasts antioxidant properties and plays a crucial role in various biological systems. The diffraction data of a quercetin dihydrate crystal have been measured at 20 (2) K to ultrahigh resolution (0.30 Å) using a synchrotron X-ray source. After meticulous multipolar refinement of the charge density, Fourier residual electron density peaks were identified, particularly at the position of hydrogen atom H15 of the catechol ring. This observation revealed a subtle disorder in the molecule, prompting the modelling of the catechol ring in two positions with occupancy percentages of 98.4% and 1.6% in the anti and syn conformations, respectively. Intermolecular interactions are analysed using Hirshfeld fingerprint plots and enrichment ratios. With the presence of numerous O-H...O hydrogen bonds, the packing shows good electrostatic complementarity between the quercetin molecule and its surroundings. The parallel displaced stacking interaction between two anti-quercetin molecules related by a translation along the a axis is, however, not attractive for its electrostatic contribution. The syn conformation shows more attractive quercetin dimers than the anti one. On the other hand, electrostatic interactions between quercetin and the two water molecules are stronger in the anti conformation. The electrostatic interactions of quercetin with human inositol polyphosphate multikinase were analysed in the structure of the complex found in the Protein Data Bank and compared with those the take place in the quercetin crystal packing.

The crystal structures of nine hexamethyl-[1,1'-biphenyl]-4,4'-diammonium (HMB) salts are described: the iodide (2), triiodide (3), succinate (4), fumarate (5), tetravanadate (6), hydroterephthalate (7) and perylenetetracarboxylate (8), as well as pentamethyl-[1,1'-biphenyl]-4,4'-diammonium iodide (1) and the metal-organic framework sodium diacetylenedisalicylate-HMB (9). HMB carbonate (10) has been synthesized as an important intermediate for a promising anti-metal-organic framework (`anti-MOF'). All the described compounds are characterized by high solubility in water. The results suggest that, during crystallization, crystallohydrates are formed from water. Compounds 6 and 9 are characterized by the presence of a rigid framework; compound 6 has an open framework structure filled with water molecules. Synchronous thermal analyses of compounds 2, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 10 allowed the identification of similarities in the mechanisms of thermolysis. At about 80-180°C, the loss of crystallization water molecules occurs. Between 180 and 250°C, a methyl group (methyl cation) is split off from the quaternary ammonium salt to form tetramethylbenzidinium. In the case of the iodides and salts of organic acids, the second thermolysis product is the methyl ester of this acid (methyliodide, dimethyl carbonate), which easily evaporates. In the range 240-355°C, tetramethylbenzidinium evaporates without decomposition.